| No. 76 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1941-12-08)December 8, 1941 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | June 16, 2023(2023-06-16) (aged 81) Oakland, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 280 lb (127 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | East Tech (Cleveland, Ohio) | ||||||||
| College | Nebraska (1961–1963) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1964: 1st round,2nd overall pick | ||||||||
| AFL draft | 1964: 1st round, 4th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Robert Stanford Brown (December 8, 1941 – June 16, 2023), nicknamed "the Boomer",[1] was an American professionalfootballoffensive tackle who played in theNational Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1973. He playedcollege football for theNebraska Cornhuskers, earningunanimous All-American honors. Brown was selected by thePhiladelphia Eagles as thesecond overall pick in the1964 NFL draft. A six-timePro Bowl selection, he played for the Eagles from 1964 to 1968, theLos Angeles Rams from 1969 to 1970, and theOakland Raiders from 1971 to 1973. Brown was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1993 and thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Brown was born on December 8, 1941, inCleveland, Ohio, where he later attendedEast Technical High School.[2] He was on the football and track teams for three years.[3] Brown was an overweight 280 pounds (127 kg) when he entered high school, and his older brother Ulysses got Brown into shape, enabling him to play football.[3]
Brown attended theUniversity of Nebraska, along with Ulysses, and both were teammates on the football team.[3] Brown was abackup as anoffensive lineman andoutside linebacker inBill Jennings' final season as theCornhuskers' coach in1961. Brown became astarter in1962 under coachBob Devaney. Brown preserved a 36–34 win in the1962 Gotham Bowl, the program's firstbowl win, with aninterception in the final minute.[4]
As asenior in1963, he was aunanimous All-American selection atguard, helpingNebraska win their first conference championship since1940.[5] He also helped Nebraska beatAuburn 13–7 in the1964 Orange Bowl (played on January 1, 1964), throwing a key block that allowed teammateDennis Claridge to run 68 yards for a touchdown.[6][7][8] The Cornhuskers' first Black All-American,[4] Brown was voted the Offensive Lineman of the Year by theWashington D.C. Touchdown Club.[9] He also earned his second consecutive All-Conference selection in theBig Eight.[4]
Brown was selected in the first round of the1964 NFL draft by thePhiladelphia Eagles with the second overall pick.[1] The contract he signed with the team had a $100,000 signing bonus.[10] After his rookie season in1964, Brown was named to the NFL All-Rookie team and earned second-teamAll-Pro honors.[11] He was named to thePro Bowl in1965 and1966 during his five-season career with the Eagles.[10] After playing 50 consecutive games from his rookie year into the 1967 season, Brown suffered a knee injury, but came back and regained his form in 1968, though the Eagles were a poor 2–12 team.[12]
During his time with the Eagles, he had been called the top offensive lineman in the NFL, Eagles' coachJoe Kuharich calling him equal to or superior to future Hall of fame tacklesForrest Gregg[13] andJim Parker;[14] but in 1969 he demanded that Eagles general managerPete Retzlaff trade him.[12][15] After asking for a trade from the Eagles, Brown was sent to theLos Angeles Rams in a five-player exchange on May 12, 1969. The Eagles traded Brown, along with cornerbackJim Nettles, to the Rams in exchange for offensive tackleJoe Carollo, guardDon Chuy, and defensive backIrv Cross.[10] Ram's future Hall of fame head coachGeorge Allen[16] called Brown "the finest offensive lineman in pro football".[17] In aSPORT magazine poll of over 1,000 players before the 1970 season, Brown was selected as the National Football Conference's top offensive lineman.[18] Brown played two All Pro and Pro Bowl seasons for the Rams in 1969-70.[19]
Brown was traded by the Rams to theOakland Raiders, along with two draft picks, in exchange for offensive tackleHarry Schuh and cornerbackKent McCloughan on June 23, 1971.[20] Raiders' future Hall of Fame coachJohn Madden[21] called Brown "probably the best tackle in football".[22] He played three seasons for the Raiders, teaming on the offensive line with fellow future Pro Football Hall of FamersArt Shell,Gene Upshaw, andJim Otto. During the1971 season, another eventual Hall of Famer,Ron Mix played his final pro season as Brown's backup at right tackle.[23] Hall of FameKansas City Chief middle linebackerWillie Lanier had particular respect for Brown, among all the great offensive lineman that played for the Oakland Raiders.[24]
He also had a reputation as the meanest lineman.[25][26] Brown said his game was predicated on inflicting more pain on the defensive lineman than would be inflicted on him. "'The guy who wins is the one who inflicts more pain. I try to drive out his intestinal fortitude. Then he's mine.'"[27] When the head slap was still a legal maneuver for defensive lineman to use against offensive lineman, Brown would reverse the screws in his helmet, with the pointed ends facing out, and sharpen them.[28] He was known for the exceptional force with which he delivered the "ripup" move, where an offensive lineman would drive his fists into the oncoming pass rushing defender's chest, with Brown sometimes lifting the defensive ends off their feet.[27]
Brown was named a first-team All-Pro during five of his ten NFL seasons. Named the NFL/NFC Offensive Lineman of the Year three times,[9] Brown was also selected to the Pro Bowl six times: thrice with the Eagles, twice with the Rams, and once with the Raiders.[1][29][19]
In 1993, Brown was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame.[8] A member of theNFL 1960s All-Decade Team,[4] he was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.[1] Brown's No. 64 wasretired by theUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln in 2004.[30]
Brown was married to Cecelia and had a son, Robert Jr.[2] His son was his presenter at his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.[2]
Brown had a stroke in April 2023. Afterwards, he lived in a rehabilitation center inOakland, California, where he died on June 16, 2023, at the age of 81.[2][31][32]